Swartz Creek Fire Chief Brent Cole said his department recently put up signs in the community to draw residents in as on-call firefighters.

“The barber, Louie Fent, he knew me,” said Lutze, a 29-year department veteran. “He contacted me and I thought I’ll come to a meeting and see what it’s like. I never thought I’d be here this long. It’s like family.”

From word of mouth to signs, school programs and incentives, Genesee County fire officials are trying and discussing methods of enticing on-call firefighters into their ranks and then remain through a sometimes arduous training process.

Swartz Creek Area Fire Chief Brent Cole said in recent times the department, serving Swartz Creek and Clayton Township, had put up signs, helping fill Station 1.

“We got a pretty good response. It’s really more witnessing, where you see someone doing it,” he said. “You might have wanted to be a firefighter as a little kid and you saw this sign.”

Clio Area Fire Authority Chief Gary Domerese said during informal discussions with other officials, the topic of recruiting has come up in recent weeks.

"One of the things that came up in conversation a few weeks ago is go to the churches," he said. Staffing in the department's two fire stations has fallen from as many as 60 on-call firefighters a decade ago to 45 now. He described those who remain: "They're typically stable, a lot of homeowners, with a good mix of younger and older."

The Clio Area Fire Authority covers 72 square miles, including the city of Clio, Vienna and Thetford townships, with a population of more than 22,000.

Domerese noted the authority previously started an incentive program. It set aside $20,000 in previous years to reward firefighters who have stayed with the department for five-plus years. But that figure has been cut in half with declining revenue having a large impact on the budget.

Fenton Fire Chief Bob Cairnduff said an Explorer program in the school district has helped bring on-call staff to the department.

Fenton Fire Chief Bob Cairnduff said officials there had also discussed an incentive program before budget issues eliminated the option.

Much like other areas in the county, Fenton has turned to an Explorer program to help draw young people into its fire stations, with Cairnduff stating, “In hopes that when they graduate and if stay in the area, we kind of hope they come and join us. They know who we are.”

The Explorer program in the Clio school district has helped the department get some recruits, with a handful of current firefighters coming from the program directly to the stations there as well as in Davison.

On-call Firefighter Steven P. Poore, 22, took part during his years at Davison High School in an Explorer and Cadet program run by Fire Chief Mike Wright, Assistant Fire Chief Skip Davis and Lt. Chris Love.

“They have the opportunity to not only get community service hours, but also see if that’s what they want to do as a career when they were of age,” Poore said.

Poore's father, Steven W. Poore, served 20 years with the department before retiring in 2004. The younger Poore remembers trying to rush to the fire station on South Main Street when a call for a fire came in.

"I'd hurry up and jump on my bike, going mach-10 trying to catch up to them," he laughed. "I'd fly downtown, trying to watch the trucks pull out."

The cadet program includes learning about equipment, training, as well as serving the community through fire prevention days at local schools and in the community during events.

Kelli Dehart (left) and Steven P. Poore, work on starting a chain saw at the Davison/Richfield fire station in Davison Oct. 3. Poore is one of five current on-call firefighters with the department that completed a Cadet program which allows high school students to earn their certification before graduation.Tom Cheek | MLive.com

Skip Davis, assistant fire chief for the Davison/Richfield Area Fire Department, said those going through the program have their academy expenses paid, typically a $650 to $700 cost and roughly $3,000 if the new hire requires gear such as gloves, jacket, pants, boots or helmet.

"I personally believe that people who decide to enter the fire service, particularly in an on-call basis, it’s something they want to do, they have a desire to do that," he said. "It may be they come from a long call of firefighters. I’m the third generation, and I have cousins in the fire service and I have daughter in the fire service as well. I believe after you experience it and you decide whether you like it or not, the longer you are here, the more you develop that sense of community service."

Mt. Morris Township Fire Chief Darrell Ellis, who doubles as the community’s police chief, said the department mainly relies on word of mouth in its area, which has kept its staffing level stable in the mid-20s.

“We keep applications on file. People aren’t doing this for the pay,” he said. “The guys don’t do it to get rich. They do it to serve their community.”

The time requirements for on-call firefighters can take them away from their families or friends at times, with recruits sent through a six-month training academy -- requiring two nights each week of two- to three-hour sessions -- along with a final written and physical skills test to receive their certification.

Firefighters must be at least 18 years old, typically living in or near their fire district or city, maintain a good driving record, pass a background check and possess a high school diploma or GED.

Most departments require those serving as staff to live within or close to the fire district in order to be available for calls. Once a recruit makes it through the academy, specialized training in other areas continues as some departments also respond to medical calls in their areas.

Flint Township Fire Chief John Ringwelski said some of the training can also be scientific in nature, with firefighters learning about new fabrics in items that may burn at different rates or how to safely cut through new vehicles to extract trapped people. Staff may not be allowed on certain calls until people until specific training is completed.

“In the fire service you have to train in everything you are going to do,” he said. “If you are going to use a ladder, you have to do ladder training. If you are going to do medical calls, you have to train in medical.”

"There’s so much people want to do and squeeze in (their personal lives), and it really takes a commitment to the service," Ringwelski said.

Throughout his years and the changes in requirements and staff, Lutze said he’s stayed on the department because of the sense of camaraderie while on a call and at the station.

“It’s fun being around all the guys. You have the serious part of it when you are at a scene,” he said. “You got and get the job done and you come back and it’s fun. It’s kind of hard to leave the family.”